


The Long Way Home

by dont_hate_me01



Category: NCIS
Genre: Language, M/M, Permanent Injury, Pre-Slash, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-18
Updated: 2015-05-18
Packaged: 2018-03-30 20:49:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3951235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dont_hate_me01/pseuds/dont_hate_me01
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo disappeared into thin air.  Will Gibbs and the rest of the team find him in time, or will Tony be hunted down and lost to those who love him forever?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> AN 1: Written for this year's NCIS Reversebang over on LJ.  
> AN 2: A HUGE thank you to my Beta **AmyH0127** for the wonderful work she did on this fic, including comming up with the title, as my muse totally refused to supply me with one.  
>  AN 3: **hinky_hippo** was the Artist responsible for creating this wonderful pieces of art which inspired me to write this fic.
> 
>  
> 
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> 
> [](http://s792.photobucket.com/user/Dont_hate_me01/media/The%20Long%20Way%20Home%20title_zpsodzvyxxu.jpg.html)  
>   
> 

**Chapter 1**

"Damn it, where the hell are you, DiNozzo!" Gibbs slammed the receiver down as he once again failed to reach his second in command.

"McGee," he barked as the probationary agent stepped into the bullpen. "Do that thing where you ping a cell phone and find DiNozzo."

"Sir..., I mean, Agent Gibbs?" McGee sounded flustered. He was still intimidated by the older man and now with Tony in the wind, he felt the pressure even more. Things had gotten a lot better, after he started working with them, but then Kate died, Tony became quiet and Gibbs became a tyrant.

"Did I stutter, McGee? Did you not understand the order? FIND DINOZZO!" Gibbs stood toe to toe with the young agent as he bellowed out the order again.

McGee gave an involuntary step back and collided with the desk behind him. He had nowhere else to go. "Yes, Sir." This time he didn't even realize that he called Gibbs "Sir" again, but just scrambled around the desk and started typing away. He was aware that Gibbs continued to stare at him as he keyed in the commands to track DiNozzo's phone. His hands trembled and he had to take some deep breaths to calm his nerves. He sighed in relief when he finally got a signal on DiNozzo's phone and frowned. "That can't be right."

"Spit it out, McGee."

"Mm, according to this, Agent DiNozzo's phone is at his apartment." Tim shook his head. Gibbs had personally sent him over to DiNozzo's apartment and there was no sign of the missing man. Even his car was not in his allocated space.

"Did you not check it out, McGee?" Gibbs growled as he reached for his weapon in the drawer. He marched towards the elevators and when he realized that McGee was not following he yelled again. "What are you waiting for, McGee? A written invitation?" He was happy to note that the young man managed to grab his bag and get to him before the elevator doors closed. Gibbs knew he was in a foul mood and that he was taking it out on McGee, but not knowing where his second in command was made him more grouchy than normal.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

McGee's knees buckled after he finally managed to haul himself out of the vehicle and started to follow in Gibbs' wake. He couldn't help but wonder how long it would take to get used to Gibbs' driving style, and if he would even make it to his next birthday if he had to ride with Gibbs again. He managed to pull himself together as they entered the apartment building and made their way to the fourth floor. They didn't bother with the elevator; Tony had been moaning about the fact that it was out of order for the last week and a half. Instead, they made their way to the stairs and he groaned as Gibbs took them two by two.

By the time they reached the fourth floor, McGee was clearly winded, while Gibbs wasn’t even breathing hard. They approached Tony's apartment in silence, both men had their weapons drawn. Gibbs pounded on the door with his fist and when he received no reply he reached into his jacket and removed his lock pick set, gaining entry into the apartment within mere seconds.

"Oh," was the only word Tim could get out as he looked at the chaos that greeted them. He turned to look at the door again. There was no sign of forced entry on the door. He realized that Gibbs had moved deeper into the living space and he followed suit. Tight lipped, both men swept the whole apartment before meeting up again in the open living room space. Gibbs had Tony's phone in his hand, but there was no sign of the agent himself.

"Call it in, McGee. I want a team going over this place with a fine tooth comb." Gibbs reached into his jacket and pulled out an evidence bag which he dumped Tony's phone. It was only then that McGee realized that Gibbs had donned gloves. He wanted to slap himself behind the head as he fumbled for his own before finally managing to get them on and then phoned it in before he started working the apartment again.

"Boss," McGee indicated to a spot on the floor, between Tony's piano and the leather couch. He still couldn't get over the fact that Tony had a piano in his apartment.

Gibbs hunkered down next to the spot and grunted in a way that McGee interpreted as _good job_. It was a single drop of blood and as they looked around they found another drop and then another. Gibbs reached for his firearm as someone entered the room, but sighed as he realized it was Pacci.

"Chris," he greeted the other agent and explained what they had found. Gibbs personally showed Pacci the blood drops before he sighed deeply and dragged his hand over his face. "I need to let the Director know." As he reached for his phone, his eye caught McGee's and he held the young man's gaze for a moment before he spoke up again. "We'll find him, McGee."

Gibbs didn't give McGee an opportunity to respond, but turned away as Director Morrow answered his phone. "Tom, we've got problems." His voice grew faint as he exited the apartment and McGee looked at the camera in his hands before he pulled himself together and started snapping away.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

"Whose blood is this, Gibbs? Tell me it's not Tony's. You have to find him, Gibbs. You have to find Tony." Abby babbled as she signed the chain of command log, taking custody of the blood samples. Her face was drawn and her lab that on a normal day vibrated with the music, was eerily quiet.

"I can't tell you that, Abs." Gibbs kissed her on her temple and stood to the side as she started to prepare the samples for analysis. His gut told him that the blood they found did belong to Tony, but he was not giving up; not on Tony.

"But you will find him. If there's anyone who can find him, it's you." Abby's hands trembled as she slipped the sample into one of her babies and keyed in the data for the testing to start.

"We'll find him, Abs." Gibbs waited until she turned back to face him before he pulled her close and hugged her hard. "I promise."

Abby sighed as she leaned into Gibbs' embrace. Her silver fox was like a second father and in all the years that she'd worked with him, he never broke a promise. "Good. I will keep you up to date." She pulled away and started working on her computer. Different samples were collected at Tony's apartment and she wanted to get them all prepped and analyzed as soon as possible.

Gibbs made his way out of her lab and down to autopsy. He wasn't surprised to find Ducky and his new assistant Palmer huddled over some files. "Ducky." Gibbs greeted as he entered the area.

"Jethro." Ducky looked up and handed the file to Palmer. "You can take that one and the others back up to Timothy, my boy. We will not need them anymore." He waited for the young man to exit the room before he walked to his cabinet and withdrew a bottle of bourbon and two glasses. "I think this is necessary." He filled both with a healthy dose and handed one to Gibbs who still remained silent. He took a deep swallow of his own drink before his gaze found Gibbs'.

"He will be all right, Jethro."

"How can you be so certain of it, Duck?"

"How can you not be? He is the best there is; you've said that yourself." Ducky emptied his glass and placed it to the side. "You yourself said there was no other choice."

Gibbs sighed and tipped the glass, emptying it in one swallow. He grimaced as he swallowed the bourbon. "I didn't expect them to act so quickly."

"None of us did, Jethro. But now they did, and we need to concentrate on the rest." Ducky placed a comforting hand on his oldest friend's shoulder. "Go and get those bastards, Jethro. Go and bring Anthony home." He didn't add that it had to be done quickly. He knew Gibbs was well aware of that fact.

Gibbs nodded in agreement as he turned and left the autopsy area. In the elevator, he waited for the tin bin to move before he flipped the switch and sank to his knees. For the first time since he'd lost what was his life - his wife and his daughter, he prayed. He needed someone else to keep Tony safe since he wasn't there watching his six. It was the only way for his plan to work. It was the only way to root out the rat who made its home within the walls of the NCIS. It was the only way to make their agency safe again. He could only hope that it didn't cost DiNozzo his life.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

Tony groaned and tried to place his hand on his throbbing head only to realize that he was tied up. He groaned again and managed to open his eyes. He hissed as the sharp lighting stung his eyes, making him tear up.

"You're awake." A male voice spoke up to his left.

Tony turned his head and tried to see who spoke to him. The light made it impossible to make out anyone, except for a shadow figure in the corner. "Who are you?"

The man snorted and stepped forward. "I'm your worse nightmare."

Tony couldn't help but to snort. "You're not my boss, so I'm sorry, you're not."

The man growled and even before Tony could react a hard fist connected with his cheek, making him nearly to topple off the chair he was bound to. "Ouch." He tried to keep his voice light, even as the pain kept on pulsing through his head. "Touchy much?"

"Shut up," the man roared and struck Tony again, this time toppling the chair Tony was seated on.

The air was driven out of his lungs as he fell hard to the floor. The chair splintered beneath him and Tony gasped as a piece of the wooden frame pierced his side. He couldn't help but to yelp at the sharp pain. To make matters worse, he started to cough. His lungs were still on the mend after his bout with the plague. Dark spots appeared in front of his eyes and he was aware of others entering the room, but at that stage he couldn't concentrate on anything else except to keep breathing. It felt to him as if he was losing the battle as the spots grew larger and the voices that once sounded as if they were raised in volume got fainter, until everything went dark and Tony went limp.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Three days later**

"You have to tell them, Jethro." Ducky spoke up as they watched Gibbs' team going through case files, looking for leads on who took their team mate.

"You know I can't, Duck." Gibbs huffed as he pulled another file towards him to examine.

"And why not? I thought we knew who took Anthony." Ducky frowned.

"Unless they make contact, Duck, we cannot be sure." He didn't add that he was starting to doubt himself, and that whoever took Tony was not the rat they were looking for. If it was the rat, he, or she, would've made contact by now. They had been planning this for almost a month and now it looked like everything was going south.

"You're having doubts." Ducky sat down heavily. His mind was racing as he realized that although he knew Anthony would be in danger, the danger he might be in now could be ten times worse.

Gibbs remained silent as his team buzzed around him, working hard in finding their lost team mate, their friend.

"Damn it, Jethro." Ducky's voice sounded harsh through the bullpen. McGee and Balboa's team stopped what they were doing and looked up.

"No, Duck." Gibbs pushed his chair back and made his way up the stairs to the Director's office.

Ducky sighed, but nodded his head as Gibbs walked away. When Balboa came closer, Ducky shook his head. "Sorry, Agent Balboa, just my nerves getting the better of me, nothing to worry about." He turned on his heels and went back down to his private domain. Tony had been missing for three days. Three days in which Gibbs and himself did nothing to look for Tony and now he couldn't help but to wonder if their decision to let the people who took Tony make first contact be the downfall of them all. He shuddered to think what would happen if they did not find Anthony in time.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

"I fucked up." Gibbs whispered the words as the door clicked shut behind him. He was hunched over, his hands shook hard.

"Gibbs?" Director Tom Morrow frowned as his best agent entered his office.

"I don't think it was the mole who took Tony. I got it wrong, Tom." Gibbs reached for the tumbler filled with bourbon that Tom kept for some of his guests, but then withdrew his hand and sat down.

"You sure?" Morrow inquired as he dragged a hand over his face.

"He would've made contact by now. He would've wanted to have what we have." Gibbs eyed the bourbon again, but knew that until they; until _he_ found Tony, no alcohol will pass his lips. Tony came first.

"What if he's trying to see what our next move is?" Tom didn't want to believe that they misread the whole situation.

"I don't know." Gibbs sounded defeated as he sat there staring at the door in front of him. "I have no idea what to do next." He stood up, turned and slammed his fist into the wall behind him. The skin across his knuckles split open, the wall decorated with red blodges as his fist connected for a second time. As he drew his arm back to do it again, he was pulled back and slammed into the wall.

"Enough, Gibbs." Tom barked as he pinned his senior agent against the wall. "Landing yourself in hospital with a broken hand will not help getting Tony back."

Gibbs growled as he pushed Tom away from him and paced the floor. It didn't matter that his hand dripped blood or that it throbbed with each breath he took. He knew Tom was right, but he had never felt so totally useless before.

Tom took Gibbs' arm and made him sit down on the chair. "Let me see your hand." He didn't wait for permission, but took Gibbs' busted hand in his and hissed when he saw the split skin, blood oozing out of the cut. "Ducky will have to look at this." He reached into his own pocket and took out a clean handkerchief. "Hold it there." He placed it over Gibbs' knuckles and then reached for his phone to call the ME. It bothered him that Gibbs remained stoic. He stayed seated next to his friend until Ducky arrived and then only did he move away to give the doctor the space to work. Tom only spoke up again when Ducky cleared away the items he used.

"Gibbs, we'll find him. You will find him. More importantly, Tony knows you will find him and you can't give up now. You can't give up on the one man who you love more than you love yourself."

It was Tom's last words that made Gibbs' head snap up. "How did you know?" He didn't even look at Ducky. The ME has been aware of his feelings for Tony for a long time.

"He's the only one who you trust, Gibbs, who makes you smile. In short - he's good for you." Tom placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "And don't for one moment worry about DADT or what anyone in this office might think. It's got nothing to do with them, and if SecNav or any other upstairs bastard wants to say something, I will handle it."

Ducky cleared his throat. "I am never one to say I told you so, Jethro, but in this instance, I do think I will say those words. I told you so." He gently tapped Gibbs on the arm. "Stop harming yourself, get your mind back in the game and find your boy, Jethro. Find Anthony and bring him home."

Gibbs sighed deeply. His friends were right. He had to get his mind back into the game. But first he had some explaining to do. He nodded his head once. "Let's call them in; they deserve to know."

"You trust them?"

Gibbs looked at Morrow for a long time before he finally nodded his head. "My gut says I can trust them, and we'll need them for this."

"Good. I'll let them come up." Morrow spoke to his assistant and together the three men waited for the rest of the team to gather in Morrow's office.

Gibbs waited until everyone was gathered inside Tom's office before he spoke up. "What I am about to disclose here stays here, and goes not further, understood?" He looked at the agents before him. McGee was still green, but Tony had vouched for him and Gibbs would give him a chance. Chris Pacci and Balboa were both seasoned agents, their respective teams working together for years. They would do anything in their power to find Tony. His eyes came to rest on Abby - she held a very special place in his heart. She would never replace the daughter he'd lost, but she made the ache just dull that bit more. Ducky and Tom had been his friends for years and he knew he could trust them. He gave a small nod in Tom's direction and then started to read them in.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

The first thing Tony became aware of just after the blinding pain he experienced in his side was the cold. He shivered hard and tried to pull his arms over his chest only to realize that he was bound up tightly with his arms at his back. Tony blinked a few times before his surroundings came into focus and frowned. He was clearly not in the same place he was before. He would've noticed that he was in the freaking woods the first time. Only when he realized where he was, did he pay attention to other sights and sounds around him. The underbrush was alive with creatures, and for a moment Tony wondered if something dangerous might storm out from within. He managed not to panic as the sounds became more distant and then finally faded away. There were still a lot of bugs buzzing and he could hear some owls hooting in the distance as well.

Tony frowned as he shivered again. He knew he should get up and get moving, but he was so tired and it felt as if he'd been dragged behind a car for miles. There was not a place on his body that did not ache. Slowly his eyes drifted close again. _'Just a few more minutes, and I'll get up.'_ Tony thought before the darkness swallowed him up again.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

Never before in her life had Abby been quite as angry with Gibbs as she was right now. She had locked herself in her lab and the music blasting from within managed to make the glass tremble. She kept on pacing up and down, yelling and arguing with herself about what to do. Abby ignored the tear streaks that decorated her cheeks in favor of her inner battle. "How could he have done it, how dare he!" She yelled out of frustration again before taking one step to the side and hit the off button on the CD player, dumping her lab into silence. Abby took a deep breath, turned and opened the door letting Gibbs in. She halted him with her hand as he tried to speak up.

"I know you will not apologize, as it's a sign of weakness, but I'm so angry, Gibbs, really really angry. I've even contemplated your death, although it was only for a second. I cannot understand why you could do something like this and until Tony is safely back with us I do not want to discuss this anymore except to say I'm very disappointed, Gibbs."

Gibbs knew Abby was right in being angry with him and he accepted her words as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the top of her head. "Let's find Tony and bring him back."

"Yes," Abby removed herself from Gibbs' embrace and turned to the computer at her back. "I went through all of the evidence collected at Tony's apartment and I found traces of soil that is not common to the DC city area. It took a while to analyze, but this soil is from the Shenandoah National Park."

Gibbs frowned at the information. The park was about eighty miles away. A long way to travel to kidnap someone. "You sure?"

"Positive, Gibbs. And I have to say, it doesn't make sense." Abby let her fingers glide over the keyboard, bringing up several graphs, images and even articles on the National Park. "The park was established in 1935 and is over 200 000 acres. It's famous for its Skyline Drive and is home to a few hundred Black bears. I mean there's nothing weird about the area itself, except why would someone from there come all the way here and then take our Tony?"

"Go through all of Tony's old cases, see if any of the people he arrested came from that area. Go as far back as you can, Abby." Gibbs looked at the map she had on the screen. Abby was correct, it didn't make sense. On the bright side, it made their pool of suspects smaller if they could connect the dots. But, first, they had to sort out the dots, since at that moment there were too many dots and too little leads.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

McGee wanted to scream out of pure frustration. They'd been going through old files by hand for almost seventeen hours and nothing; not one single lead for them to follow up. He couldn't help but wonder if they were barking up the wrong tree. He looked over to where Gibbs was seated on his ass next to a heap of files. His boss had been paging through each piece of paper in every file as if there was nothing more important than doing just that. Tim ducked his head as his cheeks flushed red. He should be ashamed of himself, Gibbs would not lead them astray. They had to find Tony and if it meant following a paper trail since Tony started grade school then so be it. He grabbed another file and flipped it open.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

Tony shivered and tried to curl into himself only to gasp as bolts of pain sparked through his body. "Fuck," he shivered again and with some difficulty managed to get into a seated position. He continued to shiver and although the air was cool around him, he knew the shivers were caused by shock. It was still pitch dark around him, and just as the first time he awoke he still had no idea of where he was, or why he was there. "Suck it up, DiNozzo." Tony mumbled to himself as he took some deep breaths to work through his pain before making an attempt to get to his feet. He had to get to a road, lying around in the middle of nowhere was not going to get him out of this sticky situation.

"Gibbs is going to slap me dizzy for getting myself into this mess." Tony spoke to himself as he finally managed to get his feet under him and stand up. He had to shake his head as his vision blurred and he swayed dangerously. He tried to wriggle his hands free from the rope that bound them together, but the harder he wriggled the tighter the ropes got, until his hands became numb and he had to stop. Tony could feel the ropes getting wet and with the sting he felt on his wrists, he knew he had another bleeding wound. He staggered through the undergrowth as he tried to find a footpath in an attempt to get himself into someplace where there were people, cars, phones and didn't see the rotten log in front of him, took a hard dive across it, landing on his injured side and screamed in agony. Tony stayed down, he did not have the energy to get up again. He could feel the blood dripping down his side again and the constant dizziness made him aware of just how much blood he had lost. The fact that he'd not eaten for more than a day, or even three as he had no idea what period of time had passed, made it even more difficult.

With much trouble Tony managed to turn to his side and that's when he saw it. A tripwire mere inches from where he had fallen. If it wasn't for the fact that he was right on top of it, he wouldn't have seen it at all. Tony managed to follow it with his eyes until the wire disappeared underneath a small bush. He swallowed hard, not knowing if the wire was connected to explosives or if it was set up as an early warning system. The only way for him to establish that would be to get up and go closer. Tony sighed at the thought of getting up again, he was drained and wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and wish for the nightmare to come to an end. He also had no idea how he was going to examine the thing and he realized that he had to get his priorities straight. He had to get his hands free, not only to see what was hidden at the end of the wire, but also to make it easier for him to get help. There was just one other obstacle that he had to overcome - he had to get up - again.

Tony grimaced as he turned himself to his knees, he could feel Gibbs slap him on the back of his head, telling him not to give up, to find a way of getting free. He breathed hard through his nose when his vision threatened to turn black again as the pain spiked in his side. He clenched his teeth and finally got to his feet again. Tony could only hope that he would stay upright until he got his hands free - he had a feeling that should he go down again, it would be a long time before he would get up again.

As he slowly moved forward, looking for more tripwires, he was thankful that the night sky was clear and that the moon supplied enough light for him to at least see his feet. He walked with caution looking for a sharp rock or something similar to rub his wrists against. He already eyed the bark of the trees, but they were not hard enough and it would take him hours just to fray the ropes out. Finally, something caught his eye and Tony stumbled forward, eyeing the broken bottle piece with glee. Now he only had to get it between his fingers and start hacking it through the ropes. It also meant that he had to get down on the ground again, there was just no way he would've been able to pick the piece of glass up without getting down. Not for the first time he wished he was supple enough to have brought his arms over or under to step through them to get his arms in front on him, unfortunately that wasn't something he was able to do - ever.

Curse after curse left his mouth as he managed to get himself back down on the forest floor. With difficulty he managed to take the shard of glass between his fingers and started slicing at the ropes. The process was slow going and he cursed again as he managed not only to nick himself with the sharpened edge, but also dropped the glass once and had to struggle to lift it up again without being able to see what he was doing behind his back.

After what felt like a life time, the ropes around his wrists suddenly snapped and finally his hands were free. His shoulders and arms cramped the moment he brought them forward, but he ignored the pain and rubbed his wrists together to get the blood flowing through them again.

Tony couldn't help but to grin, with his hands free it suddenly felt if not all was lost, hope crept back inside of him. Placing the urge to look at the tripwire to the back for a moment, Tony gingerly pulled up his shirt and hissed as the material stuck to the clotted blood. Not wanting to cause himself more damage he let the shirt go and instead took a minute just to assess his own situation. First, he went through his pockets - nothing. As he was wearing sweatpants when he was taken; and he didn't allow himself to think about that, he had no knife tucked inside his buckle or for that matter strapped against his ankle. He had no other weapon, except for the piece of glass in his hand. He had no means of communication and on top of everything else he had no idea of where he was.

"Great, DiNozzo, just freaking great." Tony dragged his hand across his face before slowly came to his feet and gently made his way back to where the tripwire ran across the nearly non-existent footpath.

With careful measurements he pulled the leaves away from the tripwire to see to what it was connected and frowned. It looked to be connected to something like a air horn, the thin wire would pull out the trigger and it would make a huge racket, but it would cause no harm. Clearly, it was not set to harm, and Tony realized; it was set to inform. But to inform whom about what were the questions he had no answer to. He was still thinking about the conundrum when a noise reached his ears. It sounded like a four wheeler and at first he wanted to start running towards the noise, to get help, but his gut made him halt in his track. Already he could hear Gibbs yelling at him to take it easy, to be careful. Before he could take another step in the direction of the sound he heard, he fell to the ground, hiding himself within the thick floor covering and waited for the four wheeler to come closer.

Tony didn't have to wait long before the vehicle came into sight. It was still dark, but he could make out the two figures on the four wheeler and the one in the back had a strong spotlight he waved around giving Tony a better glance at them. Both were heavyset and armed with hunting rifles. A chill ran down Tony's back. He was certain that the one at the back was one of the men who had managed to take him from his apartment. He stayed in position as they slowed the four wheeler down and came to a halt a few feet from him. He had to keep low, but he could still hear them talking to one another and what they said didn't bode well for him.

"I'm telling you, Ray, he's around here somewhere. He couldn't have gone far. We just need to take it slow and we'll find him quick."

The man who was referred to as Ray, smirked. "You're right, but the wait is killing me. I wish he would trip over one of the wires, at least then we'd have a better idea of where he is and then the games can truly begin."

"You still upset that we dropped him off here in the middle of nowhere?" The first man spoke up again.

Tony heard the man called Ray snort. "Nah, it's better this way. The others we kept in the cages didn't get far, it was too easy to hunt them down. This was a good idea."

"And you have to admit, he's a fine specimen. Jonas chose him well. I do think he'll set us a good challenge, before we track him down." Guy number one laughed out loud. "Let's get going. I want to hunt our prey down before sundown."

"Now you're talking. It's getting light already, we'll be able to track him easy by then." Ray laughed as he started the ride up again and pulled away. Tony stayed low, not even breathing until the noise of the four wheeler finally faded away and the normal sounds of the surrounding woods returned. Only then did he release the breath he was holding.

"FUCK." Tony swore. He had no idea where he was, or who the lunatics that were after him were, but he knew one thing for sure - he had to get out of there or he would be hunted down like a wild animal. And he had a feeling that they were not planning on playing catch and release with him. If they found him, he would be killed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Gibbs wanted to do nothing more than to scream out of frustration. Once again a possible lead had turned into nothing. They couldn't find any link to Tony and Shenandoah National Park and they went as far as to look at cases Tony investigated when he was still a beat cop. He looked at his watch and noted the time. It was 02:42 and he'd sent the team home and retreated himself about three hours ago, but sleep evaded him. He was worried; his gut kept on churning, not giving him a moment's respite. That was also the reason he found himself seated on Tony's couch, staring ahead of him wondering if his second in command was all right.

He wanted to headslap himself for being so stupid. He had been dancing around the issue of Tony for the past four years. The first two when he and Tony worked as a two-man team and the last two when their team grew with first Kate and then Tim. But things changed after Kate died. Gibbs knew that the headslaps he dealt out became harder and the praises less. He knew he was responsible for the drift between them and up and until the moment Tony disappeared, he had no idea how to repair it. But he did now.

"I will find you Tony and I will bring you home." Gibbs muttered as he stood and exited the apartment, making sure to lock the door securely behind him.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

Jonas Armstrong grinned as he counted the bills in front of him. Some people would say he was crazy for accepting payment of such a huge sum in cash, but notes can’t be traced. Going through a bank leaves a trail, one that he didn't need. He still can't believe how easy it was to get rid of that thorn in his flesh, and making money out of it. The best part - no one would ever know it was him.

He knew for a fact that the high and mighty Gibbs was still scurrying around, looking for his precious second in command, also looking for the mole, but just like any cop; yes, he perceived them as cops and nothing more, they only looked at what was right in front of them - what he wanted them to see.

Jonas frowned at the knock on his door. No one knew where he was, not even the crazy hillbillies, he sold DiNozzo to; he made sure of that. He got to his feet and approached the door with care. "What do you want?"

"Armstrong?" The voice inquired through the door.

"You've got the wrong room." Jonas replied and stepped away. The fact that he turned away made no difference to the end result. The twin blasts through the door were big enough to blast him off his feet, ending his life within mere seconds. Even as people started opening doors the stranger left, hoodie pulled over his face, his clothes, none descript.

"It's done." He whispered the words into the burner before tossing it into an open drain, not losing ground even to slow down. The stranger smirked as he finally got back to his car and drove off. It was one of the easiest jobs he'd done in a while. The money he earned would let him live comfortably for the next couple of months.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

After the two men left, Tony gingerly got to his feet. He pressed his hand against his side and was not surprised to see it come away with blood. He knew he had to get out of there and he also knew that he couldn't dare ask for help, not from anyone around there. Looking up and seeing the skyline changing to become lighter spurred him on.

He left the tripwire alone, not wanting to risk the chance in setting it off and picked a thin trail that gently wound its way down. Tony felt the shivers going through his body, but he had to ignore it, he had to make the distance between him and the two lunatics as big as possible before it became too light and made it easier for them to track him.

As Tony made his way through the woods, the conversation he overheard kept on repeating in his head. There had to be something that could help him figure out who took him and where he was. He just had to think it through. "Jonas?" He whispered to himself. "I don't know a Jonas. Is it a name or a last name, or a nickname? How long did the man called Ray and his buddy know each other? How long did they know Jonas?" Tony sighed. So many unanswered questions and he had no idea how to even answer one.

Tony became aware that he was wheezing as he had to climb over yet another fallen log. The terrain was not easy to walk through, his calves burned with each step he took. He was also aware of the fact that he was walking hunched over. His side throbbed in tandem with his pulse. He had finally managed to work his shirt free, although it had made his eyes tear up and tied it around him in a sort of a bandage. The insects loved his naked back, the blood spatter of the mosquitoes and other bugs he slapped dead against his arms made an interesting pattern. As he stumbled over his feet yet again, Tony knew he had to rest. He had no idea how far he had walked or where the bastards that hunted him were, but if he didn't get some rest, he would become easy prey.

He scouted the area, looking for a good place to hide; somewhere that blended in with the rest of the scenery, without standing out saying ‘this is a good place to hide’. He was aware of the fact that he was going back up the slope, losing the ground he'd build up before, but he made sure to take careful note of where he was going, using the piece of glass to scratch on the bark but not in an obvious way.

Tony continued to stumble around for a safe place when the place he was looking for found him instead. A few trees had fallen over and by the covering over them it seemed it happened a few seasons ago. Now it looked like a Hobbit home, without the door or the windows, but as he moved the stringy vines out of the way he found a space deep enough for him to crawl into without being seen from the outside. The fact that the ground covering was dry indicated just how watertight it was. It smelt of the earth and the absence of any animal prints or even bones around showed that it was at least not a nest of some sort. He sighed as he managed to stretch out, his body ached, muscles quivered. His tongue stuck to the top of his mouth and he struggled to swallow. Finding water should be something at the top of his to-do list, alongside getting some rest and finding a way out of wherever he was. The fact that his stomach rumbled in a feeble attempt to make him realize that he needed food as well, didn't even register with him. Instead, he closed his eyes and his breathing evened out with the throbbing of his side, but in a strange way it lulled him to sleep, giving his body the chance to build up some energy for the difficulties he would face ahead.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

"Tony!" Gibbs jumped up, hitting his head hard on the underside of the hull of the boat. After returning from Tony's apartment, he'd made his way down the basement, and tried to calm himself with sanding the boat. Finally, he'd managed to get a few hours of sleep in as well. "Fuck," the curse word a strange occurrence out of his mouth. Gibbs dragged his hands over his face and reached for the bottle next to him. As he lifted the drink to his lips, he grimaced as he noticed the time. It was just before six and he had to get back to work. He removed the bottle from his lips, and placed it back on the floor, without taking a swallow. The tremble in his hands made him remember the nightmare he had. Tony was running from something. It was as if he could feel the danger Tony found himself in. The area was uneven, slope after slope, hill after hill. Vines and ferns covered the ground, snagging Tony's legs as he tried to run. The trees, gentle giants swayed in the wind that was picking up speed. Gibbs was sure Tony was running right towards the danger and he tried to warn him, tried to get him to turn around, but Tony didn't hear him, instead, kept on running towards the unknown. Gibbs knew he called out to Tony when the younger man stumbled over something unknown and landed hard on the ground. His eyes were glazed and he looked dead. That image was enough to make Gibbs scream his name and yank him back into full awareness.

Gibbs still had no idea where Tony was, but his gut told him his second in command was in danger. He knew the fact that he dreamt about Tony in a forest, didn't really mean anything, it was just because of the soil Abby found that his subconscious placed Tony in a wooded area and nothing more, but he still couldn't shake the feeling of dread that settled in the pit of his stomach.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

Timothy slammed the annoying alarm clock with the palm of his hand, swiping the small clock from his bedside table in an attempt to get it to shut up. He tried to turn around, but stopped as he bumped into a warm body next to him. He frowned, but still kept his eyes closed, waiting for his brain to catch up with the rest of him to figure out who was in bed with him. He knew it would be easier to open his eyes, but he didn't want to risk the change. The fist that connected with his shoulder took away any chance of finding out who it was without opening his eyes.

"Nothing happened, McGee." It was Abby who spoke up next to him.

Finally, his brain caught up with his body and he knew her words to be true. It wasn't as if they didn't want something to happen, but in the end they had been too exhausted to do anything and ended up sleeping next to one another, hoping that today would be the day they found a lead on their friend and maybe even get the chance to bring him home.

"Sorry, Abby." Timothy said with a smile as he reached out and hugged her close. He loved the way she smelled, her supple body, warm against his own. He kissed her on the forehead and then let her go. They made a promise to one another, a promise that he intended to keep. "I'll make coffee and you can have the first shower." He stretched and then got out of bed. It was time to start the new day.

Abby didn't reply, but looked on as Timothy exited the room, leaving her alone in his bed. Both of them had felt the attraction to one another from the beginning, but never acted on it. Searching for Tony brought them closer, but they also knew starting something while their emotions were on a roller coaster high was not a good idea. Instead, they decided to wait and do things properly. But on one thing they agreed, the need to sleep together was overpowering. It made them both feel safe and it gave their bodies the rest they needed to deal with the following day's problems.

Abby shook her head and wanted to slap herself silly. While she was wondering about what the future may bring for her and Timothy, her best friend was missing and they were no closer in finding him than what they were three days ago. She shook her head. Four days, no longer three. Tony had been missing for four days. That thought alone made her scramble out of bed and into the shower. Thinking about herself and McGee would come later but for now they had to focus on Tony. They had to find him and she knew the soil sample was the link. They were missing something, and today she was going to go through everything again. Today she would find it, she just had to.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

It was the shivers that brought him out of his sleep. The grunt escaped from his lips even before he could open his eyes and Tony knew he was in trouble. No longer did his side just throb, it was burning up. He could feel the heat radiating from the injury without even touching it. He was still unsure how he'd sustained it. He knew it was not a gunshot or a knife wound, but it didn't take away the seriousness of it at all.

As he turned he started to cough, the bark that left his throat came from deep within his chest. He sounded terrible to his own ears and the tightening around his chest threatened to take away his breath made him realize that things were even worse than he initially thought. His time was running out and it was running out fast.

Tony considered staying where he was, letting death take him away from all of this, but his thoughts drifted to his friends. But they were more than his friends, they were his family. Losing Kate made him realize just how little he had and he couldn't afford to lose that as well. He wouldn't let them wonder what had happened to him; he had to get out of there, if not for himself then for them. It was the one thing he could do.

The light that streamed into his hidey-hole made him realize that it had to be around midday. With hands that trembled constantly he started to unwrap the shirt around his side. The fact that it was once again stuck to his skin didn't bother him at all. What bothered him was how to get it off. If it finally stopped bleeding it would start again the moment he ripped the material off. If it didn't stop the bleeding, he had to find a way to make it stop so in both instances the shirt had to come off. Tony wondered if he should do it now, but then decided against it. He needed to find water, and if he found enough, he could soak the shirt in it and loosen it gently. The water would wash it clean and he'd be able to get a better look at the damage. It would also give him a chance to get rehydrated, something that he needed to do if he wanted to get out of there.

Tony also had another set of worries that he faced. He still had the two loony characters looking for him, and he had no idea if there were any more of them _and_ he didn't know where he was. For him to find water, he'd have to leave his hiding place and in the middle of the day it meant he could be easily spotted. He knew he was in no condition to run away, but he was also in no condition to fight them off. In both instances he would lose.

He found himself shivering again and it made him get to his feet. He was never one to give up and he still had Gibbs' ultimate _commandment_ over his head. He did not have permission to die. Hopefully that would be enough to keep him alive. Picking up his shard of glass he finally managed to make his way out of his hiding place. He stayed low to the ground, listening for any four wheeler noises or any mechanical noises, but he was greeted by birdsong and buzzing of insects. Quickly he found the last mark he made in the bark of a tree and cautiously made his way downwards again. The trek down was slow going. His side hindered him in taking large strides, the underbrush snapped at his feet, making him grateful for the sneakers he had on, although they had already caused blisters to form.

As he stepped through the trees he could hear water running. He had been walking for about an hour, his skin warm to the touch of the sun that shined down, but still his body shivered. His vision was starting to blur and he was stumbling over his own feet again. Tony leaned against a tree, getting his breath back and as well as his bearings. He was still heading downhill, the sun slowly arching over him, the shadows lengthening as he walked. He was surprised that he didn't hear or see anything of his would-be hunters. He knew he couldn't think that they'd decided to leave him be, that would just be stupid of him. He had a feeling they had something else in mind, but what it was eluded him.

He crossed another few fallen trees, climbed over a large rock pile and sighed in relief as the water stream greeted him on the other side. It looked sweet and refreshing. It was fast flowing and it sparkled as the sun's beams made contact. Tony lowered himself to the ground, used his hands as buckets and swept up some of the water; it was icy cold, but soothed his throat as he took his first sip. It was sweet and made him realize just how thirsty he was as he gulped more and more, finally just pressing his head into the stream and gulping water directly from it, but still managing not to drown himself. He took his fill and only then did he come up for air and looked at the area surrounding him. From what he could see, the gradient of the hill or mountain, was becoming steeper. Tony knew if he followed the stream he would get out of there. Civilization waited for him at the end of this stream, but how long he had to follow the stream he didn’t know. He carefully got to his feet and walked alongside the stream, hoping to find a natural pool to soak in. He also had to see if he could find something to carry in water as he had no idea if he'd be able to stay alongside the stream as he made the trek down.

Tony grinned when he found what he was looking for. A natural pond had been formed over years by an otter family if he looked at the construction to the one side of the pool. The water was still clear and even though it was cold he couldn't wait to submerge himself into it, getting rid of the grime and dirt that covered his body. He managed to sit down on a large rock and groaned in pain as he tried to take off his sneakers. In the end he found it easier to toe them off. He shimmied out of his sweats and debated on keeping on his boxers before taking it all off in an effort to have something dry to dress in again. Slowly he waded into the pool, the coldness of the water threatening to rob him of his breath and then sank down into the water. The coldness stung his flesh, the wound in his side ached hard, but he stayed down, giving the shirt the time to soak and the injury hidden by the material to soften up.

Tony managed to stay in the water for at least five minutes before it became too cold and he had to get out. He could feel the material of his shirt clinging to his skin, but it also felt as if there was nothing holding it there. His fingers were numb and he struggled to undo the knot he made when he tied it around his waist, but finally he had the shirt free and shook it out before placing it next to him in the sun to dry. Tony hissed as he finally got a proper look at the injury in his side. To say that he had trouble would've been an understatement. The gash was at least three to four inches in length, the edges were ragged, the skin bruised and darkened, pus and blood trickled from the wound. Even after being in the water for that period of time, his side was still warm, even hot to the touch. Tony knew he had to get something to stop the bleeding; just wrapping his shirt around his waist will not help. His eyes landed on the plants around him. Just like he knew about poison ivy he knew about other medicinal plants as well. But he had no idea if he would find what he was looking for. Yarrow would be his best bet. But he would have to move away from the stream. It was normally found in dry fields, banks and roadsides. Luckily for him, they were supposed to be in bloom right now so it would be easier to spot the grayish-white to yellow flowers. The leaves were green and fern like. He knew should he get some he could make a poultice from it and press it directly into the wound. That would stop the bleeding and it would also help with infection. But first he had to find it.

Feeling that his skin had dried, he managed to get to his feet and slowly dressed himself. He still shivered as he took his shirt in hand, but didn't tie it around his side again. He didn't want to get it stuck again and hopefully it would dry out a bit if he left it open. Tony didn't even think about the angry red lines that crept from the wound, he would not think what it meant or what would happen if he didn't get help soon.

Tony took his piece of glass, marked one of the trees and shook his head. There was nothing for him to carry water in so he had to stay close to the stream and drink from it directly. He was so focused on getting to water that he didn't even realize that the trees had changed. In the beginning there were Red oak trees, and now there were more Yellow poplar trees surrounding him. If he thought back at the different trees he marked, he knew there were some Birch, Maple and Ash trees as well. He was lower than what he thought he might be and it also gave him a clue where he might be. He had to use his logic. He was kidnapped from Washington D.C. and although he'd lost a chunk of time, he still had to be in the Virginia area. A place like this could mean that he might be in the Shenandoah National Park or at least somewhere in that vicinity. Tony stood straighter. If that was the case, then he would be able to get help easily, but the fact that Ray and his buddy were on four wheelers and carried hunting rifles made him realize that he was either in a very remote part of the park, or in a territory close to the park, because hunting inside the park was not allowed, and hunting season was over. The more he thought about it the more it made sense that he was not in the park itself, but had to be close by. He had to get down to a road; it was the only way he would find his way back to where he could get help.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

Gibbs looked up from the file in front of him to see Chris standing before him. "You find something?"

Chris Pacci shook his head. "Not sure, but something strange popped up, and I wanted you to hear about it before I write it off as nothing." He dragged McGee's chair closer as the young agent was down in Abby's lab and rested his arms on Gibbs' desk. "There was a shooting over at the Lavender Motel a few miles from Tony's apartment. The victim is still a John Doe, but inside his motel room the locals found a quarter of a mil in used bills. Neatly stacked as if the vic was busy counting it."

Gibbs' eyebrow arched. "That's a lot of money."

Chris nodded in agreement. "The vic was shot, but here's the weird part. He was shot through the closed door and whoever shot him used something that made big holes."

"They wanted to make sure he was dead." Gibbs frowned. Pacci was right, it might be something totally random, but the fact that it happened in close vicinity to Tony's place, that there was a large sum of money involved and that that vic was killed in such a weird way made it worth looking into.

"They also found an advert in his wallet. A small scrap of paper indicating that there are apartments to let in the same building as where Tony is staying." Pacci shrugged his shoulders. "It could be random, he was living in a motel and could've been looking for a place to stay, but something about this feels off to me."

Gibbs had blanched at the news that the vic had an advert for apartments to let in Tony's building. His gut turned. They had the link they were looking for. "I think we need to take over the investigation of that matter." He got to his feet. "I'll talk to Tom, you get the detective to come over. I want him here within the next fifteen minutes." He didn't use the elevator, but ran up the stairs two by two.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

Tony managed to pull his shirt over his shoulders and realized he was cold to the bone. The fact that the sun was still shining, although going down fast, made him aware that it was not because it was becoming dark. He wanted to roll his eyes at the number of times he shivered. It felt like he was shivering more than he was breathing and it also felt like with each shiver the temperature in his side went up. He was stumbling again and managed to stop himself with his hands as he tripped over his feet again. A cry escaped his lips and he wanted to hurl as wave after wave of nausea assaulted him. Tony had to swallow hard to keep the water he'd taken in down, but finally the bout of sickness passed and he managed to get to his feet again and then he smiled. Right in front of his eyes were the plants he was looking for. Yarrow and they were in bloom. The feathery leaves were soft against his fingers as he started to pull them off. He knew he had to use the leaves to make the poultice and he had to chew it so he would need quite a lot for this purpose. With slow movements Tony managed to take off his shirt again and placed the leaves on the shirt to gather them up. He took a few of the flowers as well, but since he couldn't make any tea he left most of the plants intact. Only when he had more than enough did he finally get up and make his way back deeper into the woods.

Tony wished he could go back to the pond, but it was getting dark and with the uneven terrain, it would be difficult to navigate without breaking a leg, or even worse, his neck. He had to find shelter, and hopefully when he got the poultice made and hunkered down for the night he would feel better in the morning.

It was the sudden quietness of the forest around him that made him realize that something was not right. But even as he lowered himself to the ground the tree splintered just above his head before the echo of the shot reached his ears and he started to run. Tony knew he was made and wanted to kick himself for being so careless. He should've known they wouldn't just track him on the four wheelers; they would do it on foot. Not once did he hear them, and the fact that they were close enough to take a shot made him aware of the fact that they'd been tracking him for a while. He zigzagged through the trees, staying as low as possible, but still trying to run as fast as he could. He could hear them barging through the undergrowth, their footfalls hard in his ears and then a second shot zinged past him and a third. He had to duck and yelped as the fourth shot ricocheted from a tree next to him and the wooden splinters flew into his eye. Momentarily he was blinded before he managed to rub the splinters away and he could see again, although blurry from his left eye.

They were gaining on him quickly; he was slow due to the loss of blood and the fact that he'd not eaten in so many days. He tried to take difficult routes to slow them down, even if it slowed him down in an effort to somehow make up ground. He fell hard as he tripped over some exposed roots the skin ripped from the palm of his hands as he tried to stop his fall with his hands. He had lost his shirt with the Yarrow leaves in it, but at that moment it didn't matter at all. Tony got to his feet and as he jumped over the next fallen log a burning pain shot through his left calf and he stumbled forward. He could hear the two men behind him laughing hard. They knew he was hit and it would be a matter of minutes before they would be able to round him up.

The rushing sound in his ears got louder the further he ran and Tony had no idea what it could be. The incline was steeper and he had to keep low as they fired at him again. His leg felt numb as he nearly dragged it behind him, the agonizing pain made him see spots before his eyes. And then just as he thought he could run no further everything opened up before him and the rushing sound in his ears made sense. He stood on the edge of a cliff, before him a magnificent waterfall and he had nowhere to go.

Tony turned as his two pursuers barged through the last trees and pointed their rifles at him.

"Got ya." The voice belonged to the man called Ray.

Tony lifted his hand in the air. He had no place to go. Tony looked on as the two men high-fived one another before turning to face him again. Ray spoke up again.

"You've broken the all time record by over thirty six hours. You evaded us for five days. You were a worthy prey." There was something like admiration in his voice.

Tony could only breathe hard. His lungs burned, the past few days and the hard running he'd done was not good for him, it'd been only a few months since he was in hospital with the Pneumonic plague. He took another deep breath and finally managed to get the question out that'd been bothering him the whole time. "Why?"

It was the second man who laughed and answered. "Because we can."

Tony looked on as the man lifted his rifle and squeezed the trigger. As the shot echoed through the mountains, Tony fell backwards into nothingness and disappeared into the depths of the raging water.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Gibbs was aware of the fact that Ducky was talking to him, but it was as if he were underwater, the sounds around him dull. A body was found in the Shenandoah Valley and it fit Tony's description. He had to get out there, but he didn't know if he could do it. He didn't want to do it, because what if it was Tony? What then?

"Jethro?" Ducky took his friend by the arm and shook him hard. "What news did you receive?" The ME had to repeat his question before Gibbs finally answered him.

"A body, Duck. They found a body." Gibbs' voice was a mere whisper. His hands shook as he reached for his sidearm and badge. Even though he didn't want to do it, he wouldn't let anyone else go to identify the body. Tony was his second in command, more importantly, Tony was his - period.

"They sure it's Anthony?" Ducky couldn't help but to feel the dread setting in his stomach. Their team would be devastated, Gibbs would not survive.

"Fits his description. I need to go and ID the body." He swallowed hard. "Will you come with, Duck?"

"Of course, Jethro. Let me just inform Mr. Palmer and we can be on our way." Ducky remained silent on the fact that they had to tell the others. He had a feeling that Gibbs wouldn't tell them until the body was identified.

"Ducky," Gibbs spoke up, but Ducky shook his head.

"I will only tell him I'm going out, not the reason for my absence, Jethro." Ducky pacified his friend as he used Gibbs' phone to call down to autopsy to inform his assistant of his departure. For once he kept the conversation short and to the point, not caring if he sounded abrupt.

With a curt comment to McGee, Gibbs and Ducky made their way out of the building and got underway to Shenandoah Valley. The trip was completed in utter silence.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

"Enter," Tom Morrow frowned as Pacci with Balboa short on his heels entered his office. "What can I do for you, gentlemen?" He asked as he indicated to both of them to take a seat.

We found the link between DiNozzo and Shenandoah Valley." Pacci spoke up.

"Where's Gibbs?" Tom arched his brow, but listened on.

"He and Doctor Mallard left about and hour ago without a word." Pacci explained.

Morrow frowned at the information, but nodded his head for them to continue.

"Danny Price." Balboa started the explanation.

"DiNozzo's old partner at Baltimore." Tom recalled the name of the man Tony’s partner in Baltimore. "He committed suicide." Tom cleared his throat. "Why did you decide to check him out?"

"It was McGee, who suggested that we start to look at Tony's old partners, and we got a lead."

"What do you have?" Morrow asked.

"Price had family who owed some land adjacent to the Shenandoah National Park. In particular some cousins who felt that it was Tony's fault that Price killed himself. A month or two after Price's death, they made some threatening calls to DiNozzo, but it stopped after Tony got a restraining order against them."

"Are they still in the area?" Morrow leaned forward to hear more.

Pacci grinned. "They are, and we had McGee pull up some bank statements and there are three very interesting transactions that we would love to have more information on." He handed the statements to the Director and indicated to the first highlighted entry. "That transaction is for an amount of two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars and it was withdrawn from an account held by the eldest cousin, named after their grandfather and sharing the same name as Tony's partner, Danny. That transaction took place two days prior to Tony's disappearance. But, even more important, it was a cash withdrawal."

"They seem to have a lot of money." Morrow indicated as he looked at the figures represented on the statements.

"Their father made a killing on the markets a few years back. He died about three months ago and left his two sons with a substantial fortune." Balboa explained.

"And with their father dead, they now had the means to finally get their revenge?" Morrow asked. He looked at the second transaction. "Where did the money came from for this payment they received?" It was an amount of five hundred thousand dollars.

"We're still tracking that, but we've got a theory if you're willing to let us explain." Pacci spoke up and held up his hand as Morrow wanted to speak up. "Please, just give us a chance."

"Okay, go for it." Morrow leaned back in his chair.

"We're of the opinion they sold DiNozzo to someone." Pacci indicated at the date and time of the transaction again. "Look at the time this went through. Just before the banks closed on the day Tony went missing. We believe payment was made after the goods were received."

"And the last transaction?" Morrow looked at the amount of a hundred thousand dollars.

"Well, first of all the John Doe was identified as Jonas Armstrong. There's still little known about him, but he was killed on the Monday after Tony's disappearance, the same day there was movement of a hundred thousand on the account again. We feel that it's no coincidence." Pacci finished explaining and sat back.

Morrow stayed silent for a long time before he spoke up again. "The first transaction is for Anderson, he's the middle man who grabbed Tony and delivered him to the buyer. It will then also explain the amount of cash found in Anderson's room. The second transaction is them receiving the money from the buyer and the last transaction is the cleaning up of any loose ends. Killing Anderson."

"To whom did they sell Tony and why? Even more important who would buy a human? Or are you thinking human trafficking?" Tom started to pace.

"Now, you really need to keep an open mind." Pacci pulled out several photocopies of news articles and passed it to his boss. "Another piece of land adjacent to the Pierce's property and also next to the National Park has been a point of interest over a number of years due to several allegations made by several people. It has been investigated more than once, but no evidence was found so no charges were laid and nothing further was done."

"What kind of allegations?" Morrow returned to his seat.

"The hunting kind, but more importantly the hunting of people kind." Balboa spoke up. "Several men of the area have gone missing over the years. The Price family doesn't have a good name in the area and are seen as pig-headed and bullies. People felt that they are the ones responsible for the disappearances, but not for the hunting part of things. There were rumors of people screaming, especially at night and random gun fire throughout the year, even with hunting season closed. The locals investigated, but found nothing, but still these rumors are going around."

"Who are the people on the second piece of land?" Morrow didn't like where this was going.

"A family by the last name of Pickering. They and the Price family have been neighbors for over three generations. We think there might be a connection between them, based on more than just speculation, but we're still working on that. As for info on the family itself, we couldn't find much on them, except to say that they are always in brawls and all the men living there have rap sheets from misdemeanors to aggravated assault and battery." It was Pacci who supplied the information.

"More importantly, they have enough weapons on the property to start a small war if they wanted to. ATF also has a file on them, but nothing substantial, they're taking their time, hoping for something to happen." 

Morrow had heard enough. "Get Legal and JAG involved, let them get a warrant for the Pickering's financial statements. Get warrants for the Price clan as well, and find Gibbs." Morrow stood up. "Let me know when the warrants are ready, I'll be coming with." He showed his agents out and sighed deeply. "Hold on, DiNozzo, we'll find you."

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

It was the cold that brought him back to the land of the living, his eyes snapped open as he remembered what had happened. With effort Tony managed to lift his head and look around him. At first he frowned, the sun was in the wrong place, but then he realized it was the following morning. The sun was rising. He had been unconscious throughout the night. Tony was grateful that nothing decided to take a bite out of him during that time. He realized he was on the bank of the river, the water lapped around his waist, droplets dripped from his body, wetting the ground beneath him. As he tried to get up, pain flashed through the left side of his body and he groaned out loud. Without moving, Tony started to assess himself. He should've thought of doing that before he tried to move in the first place. He started with his head, noting the dull ache, but something he could live with. His vision was blurry and for the first time he noted that some of the drops he thought to be water was blood. Slowly he moved his right arm and brought it up to his face, hissing as his fingers met the large bump just above his eyes. His forehead also sported a gash from where the blood dripped. It had to be where he had been shot. He couldn't believe he survived it though grateful for the fact. His left side with the large gash also made him aware that it was still untreated and he didn't need to look at it to know that it must be infected. Tony nearly started to panic, when he was unable to wriggle his toes on both feet, but decided that maybe it was due to the cold water he was submerged in. With effort, Tony was able to slowly turn himself onto his back by rocking until he finally managed to turn. He had to bite hard on his tongue to stifle the moan that threatened to escape as shards of pain traveled up his spine. The small movement had taken his breath away and he had to take some deep gulps of air before he could breath easily again. His left forearm refused to move and as he looked down, he spotted the lump just before his elbow where the bone had been broken. He managed to lift his head to look down his body. Tony tried to move his legs, concentrating hard on them, but with no effect. He tried again and slumped down in defeat as they once again refused to budge.

_'I'm paralyzed'_. The thought raced through his mind and he brought up his right hand and bit hard, not wanting to scream out the words that threatened to spill from within. The black spots that threatened to overtake his vision were due to him not breathing and he had to put in a conscious effort to take a breath of air, making sure his lungs expanded before slowly, exhaling again and then he repeated the process.

Tony was at a loss on what to do. He knew he should be grateful to be alive after being shot and then the fall from the cliff, landing in the raging river, but what purpose did he have now? Unless by a miracle someone passed this way, he would die here. It was the imaginary slap to the back of his head that made him realize that not all was lost. "Sorry, Boss." Tony shrugged his shoulders. "Yes, I know it's a sign of weakness to apologize, but I'm a bit off, so give me this one." He looked around him and knew he had to get himself away from the water and find a way to get help. If he wanted Gibbs to find him, he'd have to make an effort from his side as well, it was the least he could do.

Tony knew his only option was to drag himself up the bank, but with a busted arm and two useless legs the task ahead of him looked like an obstacle he would not overcome. Tony looked over his options and decided that there was just one way to do this and he hoped it worked. He sat up and placed his right arm behind him, pressing down into the ground and then dragged himself backwards. It was slow going and extremely painful as his ribs started to complain, making it known that they were also bruised, if not cracked when he took the tumble down the river. His arm throbbed, sweat dripped from his skin, his wet clothes drying on his body as he made the slow track up the bank. Tony had a feeling that with the width of the bank it could be a place that people would come and visit, either to do some fishing or gathering for picnics. That was, if he indeed found himself in the Shenandoah National Park and not in another totally different area.

Tony sobbed when he finally reached the top of the bank and just a few feet further he saw a road. Not a trail, but a genuine tarred road. "Now you have to find me, Boss." Tony slurred as his eyes threatened to close on their own due to exhaustion, dehydration, the injuries he carried and a vicious infection that plagued his body. He could hear himself wheez and the way his chest tightened up, made him aware that the cold water and the time he spend in the outdoors meant nothing good for his scarred lungs. Tony's head slumped towards his chest as his body finally gave in. With exertion he managed to lift his head again. He had to get even closer to the road. He knew he was taking a gamble that someone might drive over him, but staying too far away meant the possibility that he might not be seen. For Gibbs to find him, someone had to find him first. It took him close to half an hour to move the final few feet of his journey. His muscles ached as it already took him close to three hours just to make his way from down by the river to up the bank. Tony didn't even realize that his right hand was shredded by the sharp stones and pieces of glass that littered the area, his aches and pain blended into one.

The road was hot beneath him, but his body was cold and Tony sighed with content as he finally let go and just laid down. He immediately lost his battle with staying conscious as the events of the past few days finally caught up with him and he passed out. It was then the sun's turn to punish him just that bit more, beating down on him, taking the last bit of moisture from his body, threatening him with sunstroke as the day grew hotter.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

McGee frowned as he managed to ping Gibbs' phone and found it to be at Shenandoah Valley.

"Creepy," Abby piped up over his shoulder as she saw what he was staring at.

"How does he do that?" McGee asked as he picked up his phone to let Pacci know he found the team leader.

"It's Gibbs." Was the only explanation Abby gave. She started to pace her lab. She hated not knowing where her family was. With Tony still missing and Gibbs going AWOL her sense of calmness had flown out of the window and the only thing she was capable of doing was panic.

She looked up when the lab door opened and Balboa and Pacci entered her domain. Both of them had strapped their weapons to their shoulders and she could see their shields clearly pinned to their belts.

"Is Gibbs still moving, McGee?" Pacci asked as he stepped up next to the young agent.

"No, Sir. He's been stationary for the past few minutes." McGee answered quickly.

"Where is he?" Balboa inquired.

With a few keystrokes, McGee frowned and the blanched. Of all the places he thought Gibbs might be, this was the one place he didn't consider. Not even breaking a sweat, he removed the screen with the information on it and turned to face the two agents. "He's at the sheriff's office." He took a gulp of air and then continued. "Are we on our way?" He didn't wait for a reply, but got to his feet, his jacket swung over his shoulder as he moved towards the door.

Both Balboa and Pacci knew McGee had seen something that had spooked him badly, but they decided to take his lead and followed after him.

"McGee!" Abby yelled as she ran across the room, her high boots made it uncomfortable, but she still managed to do so without falling. She didn't give a damn who saw them, but grabbed Timothy by the neck and hugged him tight. "Be careful and bring them home, please."

McGee nodded against her neck and whispered the promise against her skin before he let her go and quickly disappeared with Balboa and Pacci in tow.

"Spit it out, McGee. Where is Gibbs really?" Pacci asked the moment they stepped into the elevator.

McGee dropped his gaze and sighed hard. "He's at the local morgue." His statement was greeted with silence as the three men made their way out of the elevator to their waiting car, the Director already standing by it. None of the men broke the silence as they got into their car, Morrow armed with the warrants they needed.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

Ducky looked over at Gibbs, concern clearly visible on his face. He was troubled by the fact that Gibbs was withdrawn, the small vein on the side of his head stood out dark against his light skin. Having known Gibbs for years, Ducky knew it was the sign Gibbs was battling a massive headache.

"Let's go in, Jethro." Ducky indicated to the double doors in front of him. He always felt at home when he consulted at various morgues around the country, but this time it felt different. He could understand the reason why Gibbs hesitated to enter the building. Once inside and they had a look at the body, things might change forever. But, he also knew it was not a good idea to linger and not get it over with. They had to know if it was Tony.

Gibbs shook his head and reached for his phone. He knew Ducky was unaware of the internal struggle he had with himself, but he had to trust his gut. "Talk to me, McGee" his voice was strained and paced as he listened to his junior agent. He frowned and then bowed his head before looking up again. "Send me the coordinates, we'll meet you there." As usual, he ended the call without any form of greeting.

"Let's go, Duck. We've got a lead on who might have taken Tony." Gibbs turned on his heels and walked back to his vehicle to get in.

"Jethro?" Ducky asked, "what about the body?"

"Not DiNozzo, Duck." Gibbs got in behind the wheel and waited for his passenger to get in.

"How can you be so sure, Jethro?"

"My gut, Ducky. I lost faith in my gut and in DiNozzo, but not any more. Tony is still alive, and I will find him." 

Ducky had to grab hold of the _'oh shit'_ handle as Gibbs pulled away before he finally managed to strap himself in with the safety belt. He didn't even bother to ask where they were going, just praying that they got to the other side in one piece.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

Park Ranger Morris whistled as he drove his Ford F150 down the service road, away from the visitors and tourists who visited the park all through the year. It had been a long day, but still worthwhile. He loved his job, he loved taking care of nature and educating the people around him to do the same. Morris enjoyed this time of the day, the sun had set, the moon still to make an appearance, but dark enough so that his headlights filled the area with brightness.

He knew he should be heading home, but he had to unwind and he had just the place to do so. It was one of the few places not accessible to the general public due to the fact that should the river come down during a flood, the water pushed up so far that it flooded the whole area, making it a dangerous place to be. Luckily, there was no chance of a flood this night and he could make a turn there to clear his head.

As the truck went around the bend something large in the lights caught his eye. At first glance, he thought it was a log, but found it strange since the area was cleared. When he took a second look his blood ran cold. He was out of the truck even before it came to a complete stop. At first he thought he was dealing with a body, but then the man's chest moved and he knew he was still alive. Morris reached for his radio as he kneeled next to the man.

"Hey, buddy. Can you hear me? What happened to you?" Morris asked the last question more to himself than to the man lying on the ground in front of him. He gently slapped the man on the cheek in an attempt to get him to open his eyes or to respond, but with no luck. His eyes roamed over the man's body and he grimaced as he noticed the gash on the man's forehead that oozed blood. His one eye was swollen shut while his nose and mouth were bloodied. He could see the man's right arm was broken as well and he couldn't help but to wonder what other injuries the man might be suffering.

It was then that he noticed the blood that covered the shirt on the left side of the unconscious man's body. "You look even worse than what I initially thought." The Ranger managed to lift the shirt and hissed at the damaged he saw, his headlights giving him the necessary light. "Whatever else might be wrong with you, this alone needs to be treated and needs to be treated soon." He spoke the words out loud again as he unhooked his radio to call it in. He was about to engage with the park base, when the man started to murmur under his breath, his eyes still closed. "Easy, buddy." He tried to calm the man down, but the lines around the man's mouth tightened and a frown appeared on his forehead. His words were still slurred and Morris had difficulties in making it out, but one word was clear. The man kept on calling out to a person by the name of Gibbs. Soon he started to thrust around, but it was with concern that the Ranger noticed that his lower body remained still.

Morris placed a bracing hand on the man's chest, keeping him down while he tried to calm him. The injured man's voice continued to rise, calling out to Gibbs. The Ranger was scared that the man might injure himself even more so he leaned in and tried to soothe him. Nothing seemed to work, and he changed tactics. "Gibbs is coming, he's on his way, you need to keep calm, please." He repeated the words again and looked on as the man calmed down a bit. He hated lying to the man, but he had no other choice. After he made contact and requested medical assistance he started assessing the man's condition again, also taking the opportunity to see if there was any form of identity on the man, but he found nothing. He did find more injuries and it made him worry more. When the man started to shiver, he quickly ran back to the Ford and pulled out his emergency blanket to cover the man up. Help was on its way and would reach them within the next couple of minutes. He could only keep the injured man calm and warm, and hoped that they would find this person called Gibbs.

Tony frowned as something held him down, he wanted to move, but it was so difficult, he couldn't even manage to open his eyes. He wanted Gibbs, and couldn't understand why his boss wasn't answering him. Gibbs always had his six. Tony started to worry, that something had happened to the man and became agitated, but the pain that shot through him made it impossible to move. He called out again, when a voice finally penetrated his fogged up mind. At first the words didn't make sense, but then he was told that Gibbs was coming and it made him calm down. If Gibbs was on his way, then everything was all right. He started to shiver, but soon something was draped over him and the cold disappeared. He heard the voice talking to him again, but it sounded so far away and he was dead tired. With the knowledge that Gibbs was on his way, Tony's body finally relaxed and he slipped deeper into the realms of unconsciousness. Unaware of the buzz that happened around him when the medics arrived and the shouts of near panic that followed when he stopped breathing.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

"Why here? I thought we had a lead!" Gibbs parked, having stopped next to the NCIS vehicle and got out. He didn't wait on Ducky as he marched over to where McGee was standing.

"Boss," McGee started to explain, but sighed in relief as Director Morrow chose to approach them at that moment and heard Gibbs' question.

"Because I told him too, Gibbs." Morrow didn't give Gibbs a chance to respond, but continued talking. "Where did you disappear to? And what of that rule #3 of yours - never be unreachable?"

"Had things to do," Gibbs gave a vague explanation. "So, why here?"

Morrow nodded to McGee indicating the young agent should fill Gibbs in. He knew he was making it difficult for the young man, but McGee had to toughen up.

Timothy took a deep breath and then started to explain. He started with finding the link between Tony and the Shenandoah area. He then continued with what the team found with the Pickering family. "The Pickering farm is directly behind the National Park. There's a firebreak road that separates the two pieces of land and we are in need of a Ranger to pinpoint the right spot for us to get onto their land and get as close as possible before they notice us as they apparently have the tendency to shoot first and never to ask questions."

"Warrants?" Gibbs asked and Morrow was impressed that he didn't grill they young agent on the absurdness of the information they obtained, but knew that the agent had done his work.

"I've got them." Morrow pulled the papers from his pocket and showed them to Gibbs.

"What are we waiting for?" Gibbs asked as he scanned the warrants to bring himself up to speed to the contents thereof.

"It's already dark, Gibbs. The Ranger who knows that part of the park already left and they had to call him back." Morrow answered patiently.

Gibbs wanted to growl. He knew it was dark. The moon was out, there was a bite in the air and some bats flew high in the sky, but he also knew it was best to not reply. "How long until the Ranger gets here?" He asked instead.

"It will take him at least another half an hour to get back. He responded to a medical emergency and was awaiting for the medics to arrive." Pacci explained as he exited the office building. With him were two other Rangers, both armed with high powered rifles.

Something inside of Gibbs snapped. "What emergency?"

Pacci shrugged. "I didn't inquire." He frowned and even took an involuntary step backwards as Gibbs growled and stomped pass him. He looked over at Morrow and then at Ducky. Both men stood perplexed. "Let me go find out. He's capable of shooting them all." Pacci offered and entered into the large building again.

He managed to catch up with Gibbs just as the man started barking out questions. At first, the Ranger behind the desk seemed stunned, but when he saw Pacci behind Gibbs he started answering the questions. "Ranger Morris came across an unidentified man with severe injuries on a service road and called in for medical assistance."

Gibbs gut turned and even Pacci had to wonder about the man. "Description."

The Ranger wanted to answer that he had no idea, but something in the man's face before made him change his mind. "I'll find out." He picked up the radio and tried to establish contact with Morris. It took him a while to get through, but as Morris described the injured man, the man in front of him blanched. Even as Morris was still explaining, the man grabbed one of the maps and shoved it under his nose. "Where are they?"

"This road, here." He indicated to a service road.

"What's this?" Gibbs followed the blue line right next to the service road. 

"It's the South fork of the Shenandoah River," the Ranger explained.

"And this?" Gibbs indicated to a waterfall.

"The Overall Run waterfall. It's the highest waterfall in the park."

"This?" Gibbs pointed to a third point on the map.

"Privately owned land."

"Land belongs to the Pickerings?" Gibbs asked and turned around even as the ranger nodded in agreement.

"Go and take them down." Gibbs growled again as he grabbed the map and made his way out to where Ducky and Morrow still stood with McGee and Balboa who had joined them.

"Found DiNozzo, Ducky. He's injured. You coming with?" Gibbs asked as he climbed in behind the wheel. He was not surprised to see how quickly Ducky moved.

"Let's go, Jethro. It's time to bring Anthony home." This time Ducky didn't even blink an eye at the way Gibbs drove, he only wanted to get to their friend as fast as possible.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

Gibbs looked on as the Medivac helicopter lifted off the ground, cleared the tree line and disappeared into the night. He had managed to get a look at Tony for only a few seconds before the severely injured man was placed in the helicopter and whisked off. Most of the terms the medical personnel used, made no sense and that which he did understood made him tremble in fear for Tony's life. They spoke of possible internal bleeding, sepsis to a wound in his side, broken bones, pneumonia, a possible GSW to his forehead, severe concussion, an injury to his left eye, but the most terrifying thing he did understand was that Tony had sustained a possible spine injury and that although he reacted to pain stimuli, they received no response from him as the prodded his feet and legs. In short - Tony was in a critical condition and now he was on his way to Bethesda hospital where Doctor Pitt and a specialist team would wait for him. For the first time since Tony disappeared, Gibbs felt numb, a feeling of dread settled on him and he felt totally helpless. He had no idea what to do next.

"Come, Jethro." Ducky's voice sounded up next to him and Gibbs turned his face towards his friend.

"Ducky?" He sounded scared to his own ears.

"I know what you've heard is a lot to digest, my friend, but Anthony is in very good hands. The medical personnel will take good care with him and he will be at Bethesda shortly. Doctor Pitt will be there to take over his case and until we can get back to Washington, I know Bradley will make sure Anthony is looked after well. So, what do you say? Let’s get out of here." He gently guided his friend back to their car and even managed to get him into the passenger seat. He himself settled in behind the wheel and started the car. "I do think haste is in order, don't you?" Ducky placed the car into drive and stepped on the gas, not even thinking of any speed limits as he tore down the road. He knew he had to let the Director know, but as he never texted or talked over the phone as he drove, he made the decision to wait until he delivered Jethro to the hospital. If they wanted Anthony to survive, they had to get Gibbs to his side.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

Tom Morrow stood back and looked on as his agents systematically took the Pickering place apart. Another group was at the Price holdings, but he decided to stay put there for now. Never before had he seen a team working so closely together in finding something as the group of about ten agents were doing right now. When they arrived on the property earlier and saw its fastness, Tom called in more agents. The news that Tony was found had spread like wildfire within the Agency and Tom had no trouble in getting people to help.

But now, his agents were getting edgy. They'd been searching for the past four hours. It was ten in the morning and they hadn’t found anything. It had been a hard decision to take not to start with their search the previous evening, but in the dark it would've been possible to miss important pieces of information or evidence. Instead, the four of them, as well as Ranger Morris camped out a few miles from the Pickering property and waited the night out. Tom looked at the man next to him. Ranger Morris has been a great help. Not only was he the one who found Tony, but he knew the Pickering land the best and accompanied some of the agents to various places on the property that could have been easily overlooked, but there was nothing.

Tom's attention turned to the two men that stood next to one of the NCIS vehicles, the Pickering brothers, Ray and Donovan. Taken by surprise, the air was thick with tension between them, neither one talking to the other and definitely not talking to anyone of them. Tom couldn't help but to wonder if it was because Tony got away. He wanted nothing more than to tell them that Tony had survived, but it would serve no purpose now. First, they had to find something that linked Tony to them. When his phone chimed in his pocket, he reached for it quickly, hoping that it would be Ducky with news on DiNozzo, but it was not.

"Miss Sciuto?" Morrow answered the phone curtly.

"Are they all right, why aren't they answering my calls? Did you find Tony? What about Gibbs' rule #3? Tell me, Director Morrow what's going on?" Abby asked in one breath.

With a groan Morrow realized that they didn't let their forensic specialist know that Tony had been found, everything was just too hectic. Now he had to tell her, but he also needed her to get more information for them, especially on the banking records of the Price and Pickering families, but even more important, they needed information that showed communication between the two families and Jonas Anderson. If they found nothing here, the case against both families would become very weak.

"I'm sorry, Miss Sciuto, things have been a bit hectic here. I can inform you that Agent DiNozzo has been found." The moment he uttered those words, Tom wanted to shoot himself for not thinking what would happen next. First came the extremely loud screech in his ears, followed by super fast babbling, mixed with something he believed to be tears. "Miss Sciuto, Miss Sciuto," he tried to get her to listen to him, but to no avail. Finally, he sighed, took a deep breath and yelled her name out loud. "ABIGAIL!" Tom smiled as it did the trick and she quieted down. Not giving her a chance to recover, he pressed on. "Tony was found last night and air lifted to Bethesda hospital. Gibbs and Doctor Mallard have gone with him. The last I heard was that Tony was taken into surgery. Unfortunately, I can't tell you any more. Now, I know you want to leave everything as is and rush over to the hospital, but you cannot. I need you to stay and get us more evidence of any and all dealings there was between the Price family, a family by the last name of Pickering; I'll send you all the information we have on them already and with the civilian death of Jonas Anderson. It's of utmost importance that we establish a strong connection between them and you're the best when it comes to stuff like this. So get to work, get that information for us and only then can you go and see Agent DiNozzo. You need to do your work here, it's the only way we'll be able to take these men down. Do I make myself clear, Miss Sciuto, do you understand?"

"Yes, Director. I understand. I'll get them, I promise." With nothing further, Abby ended the call and Tom sighed in relief. One possible disaster diverted. He looked up as he saw McGee step out of the main house and locked eyes with him.

"Bingo." He didn't know what McGee had found, but in the junior agent's stance he could detect it was something important. As McGee walked closer, Morrow closed the gap between them. "What have you found?"

McGee lifted a small box and opened it up. "More than what we bargained for." With a gloved hand he took out Tony's driver's license. It was one of several licenses inside the box.

Morrow grinned. "It's a trophy box. Where did you find it?"

"Underneath a loose floorboard in the corner of one of the bedrooms." McGee responded.

"Who's room?" Morrow donned a pair of gloves before taking the license from Tim's hand.

"The younger brother. Donovan." McGee looked over to where the two brothers were still standing.

"Good work, Agent McGee." Morrow took the box, turned so that the two men could see what he was doing and started looking through the contents. The reaction he had expected was even greater than what he thought it would be. Ray Pickering growled, the sound that came from him was one of pure fury as he turned his body and slammed it hard into Donovan's robbing the younger brother of his air.

"I told you not to keep them! You promised me you destroyed them all! You fucking incompetent piece of shit! I will kill you with my bare fucking hands!" By the time some agents managed to pull Ray off his younger brother, Donovan sported a busted nose as Ray used his head to slam it into his brother's face since both their hands were cuffed behind their backs. Donovan had also managed to pee in his pants, the fear he had for his brother something to behold.

"I think separate travel arrangements should be made for our guests." Morrow slapped Timothy on the back as his agent took the box and sealed it into an evidence bag. Their case against the two yahoos had just become so much stronger.

"McGee," Tom called out to the young man. "You're relieved from duty, get yourself over to the hospital. I know you want to check in on Agent DiNozzo. Just keep me up to date." The smile on McGee's face, although a tired one, spoke of relief and of thanks. He looked on as McGee jogged over to one of his other agents and grabbed a set of car keys from him. By the time the two Pickering brothers were shoved into different cars, Timothy McGee was well on his way to Bethesda Hospital.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**72 Hours later - Bethesda Hospital ICU**

Gibbs paced the hallway in front of Tony's room while Doctor Pitt and the rest of the team of doctors looked over Tony. For the moment Gibbs hated the fact that he'd sent his team home, but they needed the rest. Ducky growled at him, saying he needed rest as well, but he just ignored his friend and stayed put.

He stopped his pacing as Brad stepped out of the room and headed in his direction. "How's he doing, Doc?" Gibbs asked.

Brad sighed and indicated to the chairs in the family room across from Tony's room. "Let's have a seat." He didn't wait for Gibbs to agree, but lead the way and stood by the door until the other man entered and then he shut the door.

"Doc?" Gibbs started to panic.

"He's still alive, Agent Gibbs." Brad pacified the man in front of him. "I just closed the door to give us a bit of peace and quiet and give you enough time to ask all of your questions."

Gibbs couldn't help but to sigh as he sat down hard. "Tell me."

"Okay, as you know the surgery went well on the spinal injury. It is an incomplete injury, and there's hope for Tony to be able to walk again. He will need a lot of intense rehabilitation and the patience goes along with that. There's some swelling in the area, but we're keeping an eye on that." Brad knew he'd told Gibbs this before, but he had a feeling the man needed to hear it again.

"I understand, Doc. I'll take care of him." Gibbs' voice was void of any emotion.

"I know, Gibbs, but Tony's going to need more than your help. An L1 - L5 Lumbar Spinal Cord Injury is extremely serious. He's going to need professional help, he's going to have to go to a Rehabilitation center and I'm telling you now, it will take at least a year to a year and a half for him to walk again. And then I'm not even talking about the rest of his life, Agent Gibbs. He will have no control over his bladder or his bowel movements. The center will have to teach him how to deal with situations like that. He will most likely have some form of sexual dysfunction that they will be able to explain to him." When Gibbs' shoulders slumped, Brad knew the man in front of him finally understood.

"What else, Doc?" Gibbs knew he was a coward, not wanting to think about the fact that Tony might never walk again. Instead, he needed to know about Tony's other injuries, some of them just as life threatening as his spinal injury.

"The sepsis in his side is finally clearing up after the aggressive antibiotic treatment we placed him on. The wound is beginning to look better and we'll take him to surgery before the end of the day to stitch it up." They had left the gaping gash opened for the past three days, cleaning it every hour with a special cleaning solution, wanting to clear it of all the puss and pieces of dirt that continued to seep out of the wound. They feared that cleaning it once and then stitching it up would just make the infection worse. Brad continued when Gibbs remained silent. "His pupils are reacting evenly to light, the concussion he had, finally clearing up. The Optomologist had a look at the left eye again and is positive that Tony will have hundred percent vision in the eye." They were worried when Tony came in with a swollen eye that the eye itself sustained some damage, especially after they pulled a sliver of glass from it.

"How long are you going to keep him in the coma?" Gibbs asked.

Brad sighed. This was their biggest problem. Tony stopped breathing on route to the hospital and he had to be intubated. Having contracted pneumonia as well, his scarred lungs refused to work on their own None of them were surprised that he suffered from pneumonia when they realized that he was in the woods for almost five days. "He's still not breathing on his own, Gibbs and I know we said we wanted to wean him from the vent as soon as possible, but at this stage it's not quite possible. Keeping him in a coma gives his body the rest it so desperately needs. It keeps him still and prevents him from fighting the vent. We are monitoring him and as soon as he triggers the vent, we'll start to wean him and then we'll be able to bring him out of his coma as well."

"What do I tell the team, Brad?"

"That it's Tony we're talking about and as long as you and the rest of the team do not give up hope, Tony will not give up hope either. That's the main reason we waived the rules for you, Gibbs. You need to be with Tony. You're the reason he's still fighting." Brad slapped Gibbs on the shoulder. "Now, I want you to follow my orders as well and I don't want any argument from you. I've made arrangements for a roll-away to be brought into Tony's room. You will lie down and you will sleep for at least the next four hours." He held up his hand when Gibbs wanted to object. "I already told you I don't want to hear any arguments, and although I did say it's imperative for you to be here, I will limit your time to Tony if you don't cooperate. So, what do you say? Nap time?" He smiled as Gibbs tried to stare him down. Under normal circumstances, it would've worked, but this time he was immune. For Tony to survive, Gibbs had to be there and that would not happen if the Gunny did not get the necessary rest himself.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

**48 Hours later - Bethesda Hospital ICU**

"It's been five days, Gibbs." Abby's voice sounded subdued next to him and Gibbs leaned in to pull her closer.

"I know, Abbs." Gibbs couldn't keep the fear out of his own voice. He was at the end of his rope, physically and emotionally. Although Brad still made sure Gibbs took some down time every night, he found himself unable to sleep, his mind refusing to switch off. At this stage he was surviving on coffee only, his stomach refused to accept or keep down anything else that looked like food. Already his clothes sat loose on his frame. It'd been nearly ten days in total since Tony disappeared and even though they'd found him, it still felt as if he was missing. Gibbs knew he’d only get past that feeling when Tony finally opened his eyes and looked at him, maybe even call him _Boss_.

The constant rise of Tony's chest showed that he was still breathing, although attached to the ventilator and the monotonous beeping of the machines was the only sounds in the room as Gibbs and Abby stood side by side looking down at their friend.

"Have you told him yet, Gibbs?" Abby asked as she lifted her head to look into her surrogate father's eyes. She hated to see the dark rings beneath them, his normally tanned skin was a grayish color. She wished there was something she could do for him, but until Tony woke up, Gibbs would not move from his spot.

At first Gibbs wanted to play dumb, but then he shook his head. "I'm waiting for him to wake up, Abbs, then I'll tell him."

Abby shook her head. "I know you talk to him, and you read to him as well, but you should tell him, Gibbs. You should tell Tony that you love him. I'm sure that will make him get better."

Gibbs had to smile at Abby's strong belief in something as simple as being told that you were loved. "I'll tell him, Abs." He hugged her hard and placed a kiss on her temple. "Keep me up to date on the case, Abs."

"Will do, Boss-man." Abby hugged him back before she stepped closer to Tony's bed and kissed him on the top of his head, holding his hand in hers. "You need to wake up, Tony. I miss you so much." She lowered her voice so that Gibbs could not hear her. "Gibbs needs you to wake up, he's falling apart and although I know you're very ill, you need to wake up so that Gibbs can get better. Please, Tony." She kissed him again and then left the room. She was not surprised to find Timothy waiting for her in the hall. She slipped into his embrace, crying as he rubbed her back and whispered words of encouragement.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

**Midnight Day Seven - Bethesda Hospital ICU**

Gibbs' eyes snapped open as something pulled him from his sleep. Even as he heard the sound again, he was on his feet and approaching Tony's bed. He was about to press the call button when nurse Emma entered the room. "What's making that noise?"

"That, is the sound of good news, Agent Gibbs." Emma explained as she checked the ventilator and made some entries onto Tony's chart. "He's beginning to trigger the vent, Gibbs."

Even as exhausted as Gibbs was he couldn't help but to smile. "He's starting to breath on his own?"

"Not quite yet, but he's making some effort to take a breath or two on his own and that's what we want." She made a final entry and then looked up to the man across from her. "I know you'll won't sleep any further, so I'll get you some coffee. Talk to Tony, it's clear that he's coming out of his coma. He'll become more aware of his surroundings and I know hearing your voice will keep him calm." She left the room quietly and returned with the promised coffee in mere minutes. "I spoke to Doctor Pitt, he's on his way in."

"Thank you, Nurse Emma." Gibbs took the coffee and sighed as the rich aroma hit his senses. It was the good stuff, kept by the nurses in their break room. He took a deep sip, placed the cup on the small table next to Tony's head and curled his hand around Tony's.

"Finally, Tony. They stopped giving you the drugs almost a day and a half ago and you refused to wake from your deep sleep. You're really just as hard headed as I am." Gibbs squeezed Tony's hand. "I promised Abby, I would talk to you and I wanted to do just that, but at the same time I was so scared. Scared of losing you, like I lost Shanon and Kelly." Gibbs dragged his hand over his face. "I can see you frown, you've got no idea who Shannon or Kelly are, but that's going to change. I will tell you about them, you've got the right to know."

Gibbs remained quiet for a long while before he spoke up again. "When you opened that envelope and ended up in isolation I thought I'd lost you forever. I wanted to tell you how I felt about you, but I was a coward, so I did the only thing that I was able to do then and that was to order you not to die. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you're still following that order."

Gibbs cleared his throat and then continued. "I'll be a fool and it will not be fair towards you if I sugarcoat this for you. You're in for a hell of a ride, DiNozzo. But, I know you, you will not give up. None of us will give up on you. You need to fight. We will beat this together, I promise not to leave your side. I love you, Anthony DiNozzo and I'm not letting you go." Gibbs squeezed Tony's hand again and smiled as Tony squeezed his hand back. He knew Tony was still a long way from waking up, but it was a start and one that he would take with pleasure.

**o00o -- NCISREVERSEBANG -- o00o**

**Three weeks later - Bethesda Hospital**

If it wasn't for the fact that Pitt, as well as every other doctor dealing with Tony's case stated that Tony was ready for the next part of his journey to recover, Gibbs would've said no. No, Tony was not ready. No, he didn't want Tony to leave. No, he didn't want to leave Tony alone, but he had no choice. For Tony to take control over his own life, to walk again, Gibbs had to let him go. It had been a tough three weeks, especially on Tony. Gibbs looked on as the younger man slept fitfully while they waited for the ambulance to come to take Tony to his new home for at least the next month. He couldn't help but to think of what happened in the days after Tony finally woke up and was moved to a private room...

_Tony's first word was, indeed, ‘Boss’ and for a moment Gibbs felt as if everything was going to be all right, but then Tony remembered what happened and when he looked up at Gibbs, his next words nearly broke Gibbs' heart._

_"I'm paralyzed, Gibbs." Tony stated it as a fact. He didn't need to look down to his legs to know that he was not able to move them or even to wiggle his toes. He'd sighed once and placed his hand across his chest as a bout of coughing threatened to take his breath away._

_"Easy, Tony." Gibbs helped him with a drink of water and lowered him back onto his pillows. You're still suffering from the lasting effects of your bout of pneumonia. You gave us a great scare."_

_At first Gibbs thought that Tony was going to ignore him, but then Tony spoke up again. "How did you find me?"_

_"We were following up some leads when we were made aware of a man found in the Shenandoah National Park. It was you."_

_Tony nodded once. "Was so cold."_

_Gibbs frowned. "What was cold?"_

_"The water. It was so cold that's why I thought I couldn't feel my toes, because of the cold." Tony snorted. "Until I tried to get up." He shook his head. "I'm sleepy, Gibbs." He closed his eyes and turned his head away. Not once did he comment on the fact that his fingers were laced with Gibbs' hand._

_It was even worse when a still groggy Tony, heavy with sleep, got out of bed and tried to get himself to the bathroom. There was a kink in his foley catheter line which made Tony believe that he had to go an relief himself. It was natural to get up and go, but of course, it wasn’t that easy. Luckily Tony didn’t injure himself too badly. He’d fallen hard on his front, jolting his broken arm and managed to split his lip with his teeth, but no other injuries sustained to his back. That incident made Tony really realize what he was in for and it hit him hard. He shut down, not talking to anyone, getting so depressed that at one stage Ducky suggested they get in a psychologist to talk to Tony, but Gibbs overruled that suggestion and showed the patience he had as a Marine sniper to wait it out until Tony talked to him._

_Gibbs was surprised at just how much they talked. The fact that Tony shed tears on more than one occasion would remain between the two of them, but Gibbs made a promise and Tony made one as well. Gibbs promised never to let go, and Tony, well, Tony promised that he would never stop fighting. That particular conversation also lead to their first shared kiss, both men taking it slowly, but finally admitting what they felt for one another. Gibbs opened his heart about Shannon and Kelly and went as far to admit to the other man that he loved him and by the way Tony’s face lit up, Gibbs knew he made the right choice._

Gibbs looked up as Tony stirred in the bed and moved closer as Tony opened his eyes. He smiled as Tony’s eyes came to rest on him. "Good nap?"

"Yes," Tony cleared his throat and sucked deeply on the straw when Gibbs helped him with some water. "My ride still not here?"

Gibbs looked at his watch. "They'll be here shortly." He took his customary seat next to Tony's bed and reached out for Tony's hand. He couldn't help but to feel the slight tremble in the limb. "You scared?"

Tony shook his head. "More nervous. Not really sure what to expect."

"Understandable. But, remember what I said. I'll be there every step of the way. You're not doing this on your own." Gibbs lifted Tony's hand and kissed it softly.

Tony grinned at the small sign of affection. "You know, if Abby catches you doing that again, she's going to keep on cooing about how sweet it is." 

It was Gibbs' turn to smile. Abby had caught them in the act, kissing. The only thing she did was smile and then started to tell Tony about her day. She accepted their growing relationship like it was as easy as breathing. Gibbs also had an idea that she told Ducky and McGee because the next time the young agent came to visit he was more nervous than usual, but relaxed in the end. Ducky just slapped Gibbs on the shoulder and accepted it. "We'll have to lock the door when you're home."

Tony frowned at the statement. "Home?"

Gibbs cleared his throat. "Yeah, home. My house, our house." He held up his hand when Tony wanted to object. "I know you have your own apartment, but that elevator is never working, Tony. You've been on my team now for almost three years and not one day in those three years did that piece of junk work. You're familiar with the layout of my place, the halls are wide enough for your wheelchair and building a ramp will take me about a day."

If it wasn't for the previous conversations they had, Tony would've been amazed at the volume of words Gibbs just spoke. "You've given this some thought."

"I did and I want you to give it some thought as well. You know I have the large study on the bottom floor that we can convert into a bedroom. Building a bathroom onto that which will fit your specifications can easily be done. I really want you there, Tony." He saw the doubt in Tony's eyes and lifted Tony's chin so that he could look him in the eyes. "And no, I'm not doing this because I feel pity for you, Tony. I'm doing this because I care about you, I love you. I know I will have to say it many times before you believe it, but I will not tire of saying it to you."

Tony lowered his gaze. "I don't want to be a burden, Gibbs."

Gibbs frowned. "How's your head?"

"Fine, why?" Tony couldn't understand the sudden change of topics.

"Good," Gibbs reached out and slapped Tony hard on the back of his head. "It's time you listened to me very carefully, Anthony DiNozzo. You are not a burden, you will never be a burden to me, or for that matter to any of our friends. We want to help you and I can promise you, you will regain your independence again, just give it time. In the mean time, enjoy the TLC that comes your way."

Tony rubbed the back of his head as his nerves and worries settled down. That one slap made him realize that Gibbs still saw him as the same man as before, one that will always have his six and will call him on his shit when needed be. "Thanks, Gibbs."

"Jethro," Gibbs replied. "You should call me Jethro." He smiled at the light blush that appeared on Tony's cheeks. It never ceased to amaze him how the small things in life meant so much to the master of masks, Tony DiNozzo.

"I would like that." Tony answered and squeezed Gibbs' hand that was still connected to his.

"Something else is bothering you, Tony." Gibbs picked it up immediately.

At first Tony wanted to deny it, but then nodded his head. "Abby asked you if we were in a relationship, you remember?"

Gibbs nodded his head. He had a feeling where this was going to, but he needed Tony to start this conversation, to get what was bothering him out in the open. "I do, and I told her we were."

For a long time Tony remained silent and when he finally spoke up again, it was a mere whisper. "I can't get it up, Gibbs." He reverted to the more common name he always called the man next to his side.

"And getting an erection is the only way to show love?" Gibbs tightened his hold over Tony's hand when he felt the younger man try to pull away.

"I love sex, Gibbs. No, scrap that, I'm crazy about sex. Not being able to share something like that with you… I don't know."

"You're putting the cart in front of the horses, Tony. You've got several months of rehab in front of you. You heard the specialist talk. Your spinal injury is an incomplete injury, you might gain back sensation and movement with time. Don't go look for trouble where there's none."

"But what if?"

Gibbs shook his head. "We can still kiss, we can still play, the personnel at the rehab center will tell us more about this, Tony, don't give up. I can promise you, my love for you is not based on the fact that you can't get hard in my hand or slam down my throat as I suck you down. We'll work through this."

Tony couldn't help but to shiver at the thought of fucking Jethro's mouth, for a second he felt as if something stirred, but then reality hit and he shoved the feeling away. Instead, he decided to change the topic again. "Will you tell me what's going on in the case, Bo…, Jethro?"

Gibbs knew this was not the last time they would talk about this topic, but he would get Tony to realize that sex was more than getting hard. He let Tony change the subject. "You ready for it?" On advice from both Brad and Ducky, Tony received little information on what was going on in his kidnapping case as it disturbed him too much in the beginning that his vitals were all over the place.

"I need to hear it, and since we're waiting, why not." Tony tried to sound nonchalant, but knew he failed miserably in his attempt.

"You'll tell me when I need to stop, Tony." Gibbs waited for Tony to nod before he started. "Okay, so you know who was behind it all, but let me recap it for you quickly. When you didn't show up for work, I thought that the mole had taken the bait." Gibbs lowered his head. "I made a wrong decision there, it cost us so much time. I am sorry."

It was Tony's turn to lift Gibbs' chin. "You did nothing wrong, so no apologies necessary, and you're forgetting – to apologize is a sign of weakness."

"Not in this instance, Tony." Gibbs whispered the words, his voice laced with emotion.

"You're forgiven, but not because there's anything to forgive, but to make sure you forgive yourself." Tony leaned closer and place his own kiss on Gibbs' forehead.

Gibbs could only nod. "Okay, so as soon as we realized that it wan't the mole, we broadened our search. Abby found the link to Shenandoah Park, but we couldn't find any link to you. McGee was the one who found out about Price's family and the restraining order you had against them. Pacci was the one who took note of the strange death of Jonas Armstrong and gossip and a general interest in the Pickering family brought everything to a close. I heard from the DA, the Pickering brothers made a deal, sealing the Price' brothers' fate. There's enough evidence against the Price brothers to send them to jail for a very long time and the deal the Pickerings' made, also sees them locked up for the next few years."

"Who killed Armstrong?" Tony frowned.

"That's still an ongoing investigation, but we'll find him. We always do." Gibbs was positive in his statement. Since they could link Armstrong directly to Tony's abduction, NCIS has managed to obtain jurisdiction over the incident and he knew the agency would not stop until that final piece of the puzzle was also filled in.

"And the mole?"

Gibbs growled. "That bastard is still out there, but we'll catch him. He will not take NCIS down."

"I want to be there when we take him down, Gibbs." Fire flashed in Tony's eyes.

"I have a feeling you will be, but first, let's get you up on your feet again." Gibbs rose to his own as the door opened and the two orderlies stepped in. "Time for the next step, Tony." Gibbs squeezed Tony's hand and leaned in close. "I love you and I promise you to be at your side every step of the way. You're not alone in this."

Tony had to swallow hard against the lump that formed in his throat. To say that he was okay would be a lie, to say that he was scared shitless would be the truth. But seeing Gibbs next to him, hearing those words made him realize that he was indeed not alone. In the end he might not walk, but that would not be due to a lack of trying.

"Love you too, Jethro." Tony nodded his head as the orderlies lifted him onto the gurney and rolled him out of his room to his new home for the next month, to a new beginning.

**THE END**

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